2014 concluded as one of the best years for Indian equities.The S&P BSE Sensex completed 2014 with its biggest annual gain since 2009, gaining 29.89%. During the year FII's also added $16 Billion in Indian equities on expectations that economic growth will rebound after the Modi led NDA government registered a historic win getting 282 seats, the largest electoral victory to a single party inlast 30 years.

During the year 2014, we as a fund house also crossed Rs 20,000 Crores of Equity assets under management. This has helped us cement our position as a credible equity fund house. The credibility has been built over time and this is reflected in the performance of some of our flagship schemes. Our funds have been consistent across various categories and the following table gives you a glimpse of some of our key funds and how they have fared in the year 2014.

Some of the highlights are:

ü Presence across categories with noticeable fund performance

ü Top quartile funds in Balanced, Large Cap, Diversified, Infrastructure, Dividend Yield, Banking and Value category

ü BSL Dividend Yield Plus, BSL MNC Fund, Birla Sun Life Buy India, BSL Pure Value Funds : All ranked number 1 in their respective categories

*Note : Minimum 4 funds needed to be classified in any of the quartiles

Outlook 2015

Historically across asset classes, equities have posted the best returns over long time periods. As we move to a positive real interest rates scenario, we foresee a rise in overall financial savings driven by larger allocations towards equity investments. As we commence this propitious journey, we take cognisance that there would be fair share of rainy days along with the bright & sunny ones. But India's structural story remains in place and we recommend investors to take a 3-5 year investment horizon to benefit from equity markets. The ongoing up cycle offers a rewarding journey for equity investors who come aboard and stay the course.

We expect the reforms push by the government to stimulate the investment cycle leading to a cyclical recovery in economy with average GDP growth of 6.5% over the next 3-4years with exit GDP of 7.5%. The corporate profitability is likely to rebound over the next 3 to 4 years, clocking CAGR of 17% - led by higher revenues, operating leverage and interest costs savings. Equity returns are likely to be driven both by earnings growth and valuation re-rating. Sensex currently trades at 1-year forward P/E of 16x. As we move ahead in FY15, a lower cost of capital and improvement in earning visibility should aid market multiples to re-rate higher.